Theo rushes towards him. “That doesn’t look pleasant,” he says as he peels the man’s hand away to inspect the wound. Blood pours out from the bullet hole, and Theo hastily puts the man’s hand back. “Best you go see the doc.”
The man nods in a daze and, with the help of Alex, climbs down the ladder to get treated. Another man takes his place in front and shoots back at the enemies below. But the longer I’m here, the more apparent it becomes that we’re in the middle of a losing battle. Men keep getting shot and injured, our numbers are being whittled down, and to make matters worse, some people are running out of ammo.
Finally, it’s our turn to take the front line and fight back, and when I do…
God, it’s worse than I thought.
There’s a sea of men in front of the wall, using trees, bushes and cars that they must have brought with them as cover. One car is even on fire, black smoke billowing out and choking the air with its acrid stench.While not every attacker has a gun, there’s enough that no matter how many arrows I send flying or how many bullets the guys put in them, there’s always a person to take the dead man’s place.
I’m down to half my arrows when Rhys curses beside me. I snap my gaze to him, and there’s a grim, knowing look on his face as he comes to the same conclusion I have.
We can’t sustain this, and if we try, we’ll lose. The only reason our enemies haven’t tried getting over or through the wall is because we’re keeping them back. Once we stop firing on them, they’ll have free rein to attack the wall however they like until it’s destroyed.
We can’t let that happen.
Reluctantly, Rhys turns and raises his voice to be heard over the din of gunshots and shouts. “Implement defensive action 2! This is now Operation: Party Time.”
I suck in a sharp breath as my stomach clenches with dread. Even though I knew the order was coming, it still punches me in the gut with fear, because Operation: Party Time? It’s a borderline suicide mission.
But, as dangerous as it is, it may be our best chance of winning this fight.
As Rhys relays his command into his radio, the men around us scramble to follow his order and take up more defensive positions while reducing the number of shots fired to preserve ammo.
Theo snorts from behind me as we hurry towards the ladder. “I still can’t believe you let me name that op.”
“I’ve been regretting it ever since, believe me.” Rhys turns to him. “Are you sure you can do this with your injuries? I can always get Anthony to come with us instead.”
Theo waves him off. “I’ll be fine. Plus, we need Anthony here. He’s the only one who knows all the contingency plans in case everything goes tits up.”
Rhys stares at him for a moment before sighing. “Alright. We should move; I want us at the hidden exit in ten. Should give Rachel and Tobias time to get their asses there.” He ushers us down the ladder.
Harlow whines and whimpers in greeting, and both me and Alex give her a quick pat before we hurry away from the gate. I avoid looking at the longer line of patients our medical staff are treating, or the bodies covered in white sheets that are grouped together on one side. Instead, I focus on putting one foot in front of the other as we hurry along the wall.
Tobias and Rachel are already waiting for us when we reach the hidden exit. Both of them are armed to the teeth, with Rachel holding her beloved rifle across her chest while Tobias has a shotgun slung over his back, much like Rhys does. They turn to us as we approach.
“Are we ready to get this party started?” Rachel asks, sounding far too cheerful considering all the death and destruction being dealt.
“You know it,” Theo replies just as cheerfully.
I shake my head at their antics, even as it relieves some of the anxiety swirling in my gut. Rhys ignores them as he marches straight to where the hidden exit is and starts prying the wood away. As Alex, Theo and my brother move to help open the hidden exit, Rachel moves to my side.
“We need to organise a girls’ night once this is over because it’s been too long since we hung out,” she says as she throws her arm over my shoulder and pulls me against her side. “So, how’s life with your three guys?”
“Good, if a little frustrating sometimes,” I say as I wind my arm around her waist.
“Oh? Too much sex?” she teases.
“I wish,” I snort. “I’ve barely seen them since they’ve been busy preparing Haven for the attack, and two of them are still injured. The doc said they couldn’t do any strenuous activity for at least another two weeks, and sex is well… strenuous.”
“With men like that? Oh, I bet it is.” She leans closer. “You lucky bitch.”
I shove her. “And you have Tamsin.”
“True, but just because I can’t touch doesn’t mean I can’t look. I’m still bi regardless of who I’m in a relationship with.” She makes a show of checking out all three of my guys. “And let me just say, you’ve done real good for yourself.”
I huff out a laugh and shake my head, but she’s not wrong. My three guys are hot as hell, and I still can’t believe they’re mine.
There’s a creak and a snap as the guys free the pieces of wood concealing the exit, revealing a small gap just big enough for us to squeeze through.
